Ski poles are typically fitted with one or more straps that hang downward in a looped configuration. A skier ordinarily will insert and remove his hands from a ski pole strap numerous times during a ski session. Since ski pole straps are commonly made from flexible materials, major opposing portions tend to collapse together such that only a narrow opening exists for inserting a skier's hand. The narrow opening can interfere with the convenient and safe insertion and withdrawal of the skier's hand.
Attempts to design a device to simply and effectively maintain separation of opposing strap portions have been made with limited success. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,433,495 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,819. Ingold, in the later patent, discloses a device that includes a flexible base having a generally flat configuration when unattached to a ski strap. The material of the device is selected to have the flexibility to bend in conformance to the contour of the ski strap, but possess a greater rigidity than the material of the strap.
The present invention provides a device with improvements over the above-mentioned prior art through one or more of the features described hereinbelow.